新概念第四册课文翻译及学习笔记：Lesson40

新概念第四册课文翻译及学习笔记：Lesson40

【课文】

First listen and then answer the following question.

听录音，然后回答以下问题。

What false impression does an ocean wave convey to the observer?

Waves are the children of the struggle between ocean and atmosphere, the ongoing signatures of infinity. Rays from the sun excite and energize the atmosphere of the earth, awakening it to flow, to movement, to rhythm, to life. The wind then speaks the message of the sun to the sea and the sea transmits it on through waves -- an ancient, exquisite, powerful message.

These ocean waves are among the earth's most complicated natural phenomena. The basic features include a crest (the highest point of the wave), a trough (the lowest point), a height (the vertical distance from the trough to the crest), a wave length (the horizontal distance between two wave crests), and a period (which is the time it takes a wave crest to travel one wave length).

Although an ocean wave gives the impression of a wall of water moving in your direction, in actuality waves move through the water leaving the water about where it was. If the water was moving with

the wave, the ocean and everything on it would be racing in to the shore with obviously catastrophic results.

An ocean wave passing through deep water causes a particle on the surface to move in a roughly circular orbit, drawing the particle

first towards the advancing wave, then up into the wave, then forward with it and then -- as the wave leaves the particles behind -- back

to its starting point again.

From both maturity to death, a wave is subject to the same laws

as any other 'living' thing. For a time it assumes a miraculous individuality that, in the end, is reabsorbed into the great ocean of life.

The undulating waves of the open sea are generated by three

natural causes: wind, earth movements or tremors, and the

gravitational pull of the moon and the sun. Once waves have been generated, gravity is the force that drives them in a continual attempt to restore the ocean surface to a flat plain.

from World Magazine (BBC Enterprises)

【New words and expressions 生词和短语】

signature n. 签名，标记

infinity n. 无穷

ray n. 光线

energize v. 给与...能量

rhythm n. 节奏

transmit v. 传送

exquisite adj. 高雅的

phenomena n. 现象

crest n. 浪峰

trough n. 波谷

vertical adj. 垂直的

horizontal adj. 水平的

actuality n. 现实

catastrophic adj. 大灾难的

particle n. 微粒

maturity n. 成熟

undulate v. 波动，形成波浪

tremor n. 震颤

gravitational adj. 地心吸力的

【课文注释】

1.transmit vt.

①传达

例句：Gypsies frequently transmit recipes orally within the family.

吉普赛人经常以口头形式把秘方世代相传。

②传送

例句：I will transmit the money by special messenger.

我将专门派人送这笔钱。

③传染

例句：The tension soon transmitted itself to all the members of the crowd.

这种紧张情绪很快感染了人群中所有的人。

④代代相传

例句：Parents transmit some of their characteristics to their children.

父母把某些特性遗传给子女。

【词义辨析】

点击查看大图send, deliver, dispatch, forward, ship, transmit这些动词均含“送出，发送，传送”之意。

send: 普通最常用词，含义广。指把人或物由一地送往另一地，而不涉及事物的内容或送的方式。

deliver: 指把信件、包裹等物寄发出去或交到某地，或直接交与某人，着重发送这一行为。

dispatch: 指为特殊目的而发送或派遣，强调紧急或快速。

forward: 指经过其他人或手段把东西转送给某人，(电子邮件)转发。

ship: 把通过水运、陆运或空运等方式运送东西。现常指商业上的运货，或将物品托运。